SEOUL, March 28, 2019 — Hyundai Motor Company will unveil the all-new Sonata 1.6 Turbo at the 2019 Seoul Motor Show, alongside the new range of ‘N Performance’ parts due for launch next year, presented through a series of interactive exhibits that will inform and entertain booth visitors.

The Sonata 1.6 Turbo, expected to be launched this year, is equipped with a sporty 180 hp Smart Stream G1.6 T-GDi gasoline engine and can be specified with an eight-speed automatic transmission to further optimize the car’s smooth and efficient throttle response. This new Sonata variant also features a range of sporty and sensuous design enhancements that complement the vehicle’s performance capabilities.

The exterior of the Sonata 1.6 Turbo is highlighted by Hyundai Motor’s first ‘Parametric Jewel’ grille, a wide design element that accentuates the vehicle’s bold image which is flanked by air ducts beneath the headlights that channel air efficiently through the bumper and across the face of the wheel to reduce drag. At the rear there is a unique wing-shaped rear spoiler that aids stability at higher speeds, an exclusive rear bumper, and twin-tip exhaust mufflers. The sporty silhouette and balanced proportions of the vehicle – with a lower roofline and longer wheelbase compared to the previous Sonata model – echo those of a four-door coupe.

At the Seoul Motor Show, Hyundai Motor will also unveil its ‘N Performance’ car, a Veloster N model equipped with many official ‘N Performance’ parts and bespoke customizations. The comprehensive new range of ‘N Performance’ parts are set for official release in late 2019, starting with items developed specifically for the Veloster N.

The ‘N Performance’ car on display in Seoul is equipped with 45 customizable parts. These include 14 driving performance parts, including lightweight forged wheels, larger brake calipers and brake pads, a high-performance suspension system, and high-performance tires. 11 exterior style parts are also fitted, including a real carbon fiber side-skirt, diffuser and rear wing spoiler. As for the interior, Alcantara and real carbon fiber materials have been applied to 20 different embedded parts, including the sport bucket seats, steering wheel, parking brake, A/B/C pillars, headlining and dashboard, to provide an even more luxurious feel. The ‘N Performance’ car’s matte gray finish, with yellow front splitter and side mirror covers, help to accentuate its bold and dynamic character.

Hyundai is using the knowledge and experience gained from the development of its high-performance N models to create the ‘N Performance’ parts range, with the aim of making it possible for enthusiast drivers of Hyundai vehicles to enjoy official N-brand sporty features and enhancements at an accessible price point.

Also, on Hyundai Motor’s Seoul Motor Show booth is a new exhibition concept: ‘PLAY HYUNDAI’, which enables visitors to interact with the Hyundai brand and products. The ‘Sonata Village’ showcases some of the smart mobility devices developed for the all-new Sonata, including Digital Key, Built-in Cam, Voice Recognition Assistant Service, and Passenger Comfort Seat.

The ‘N Village’ promotes engaging and rewarding driving experiences in daily life and includes a ‘shouting race’ that powers mini cars according to the volume of the participant’s voice, and a Veloster N racing game.

The ‘NEXO Village’ allows booth visitors to contemplate a clean hydrogen future and the role that can be played by Hyundai’s eco-friendly fuel cell vehicles. This part of the exhibition incorporates an air purifying process and a garden that draws on clean water from a NEXO vehicle.

During Seoul Motor Show, Hyundai Motor will host test drives of the NEXO, Veloster N, and i 30 N Line from the Hyundai Motorstudio in Goyang. Customers that wish to test drive can apply at the Hyundai Motor Exhibit at the Seoul Motor Show.

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., March 26, 2019 – Hyundai today announced the name of its all-new 2020 CUV: Hyundai Venue. The new entry CUV name references a ‘place’ where people want to be seen, or in this case, inside the vehicle. The Venue symbolizes a trendy, unique style, perfect for Hyundai’s newest and smallest CUV.

Hyundai’s naming theme for CUVs has typically been a city or place. Venue embodies the characteristics of ‘the place to be,' en route to the final destination, wherever that may be.

Global media will see the Venue for the first time at the New York International Auto Show on April 17. The global reveal will incorporate an innovative Augmented Reality (AR) element. Augmented Reality is an interactive experience of a real-world scenario including computer-generated or augmented objects through simulation, without the need for virtual-reality goggles or glasses. Viewers at home can experience the perceptually-enriched experience at the following link: https://www.hyundaiusa.com/ at 10:45 a.m. ET.

The annual accolade honors excellence in product and communication design from global submissions. It is bestowed by Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen, a museum and training-communication center in Germany, which has promoted industrial and commercial design since 1954.

The Palisade – the latest premium SUV from Hyundai Motor – topped the category for ‘Product Design – Cars and Motorcycles’, receiving recognition for its refined visual design breakthroughs. Featuring state-of-the-art technology and safety features, the Palisade is designed to offer occupants exceptional comfort and space, making any journey a luxurious experience.

“This award recognizes the fantastic cooperation of Hyundai’s talented designers around the world,” said Luc Donckerwolke, Executive Vice President and Chief Design Officer of the Hyundai Motor Group. “The Palisade is the result of an intercontinental collaboration between the diverse Hyundai Design centers throughout the world, which has allowed the tailoring of design to fit the needs of each specific market, rather than imposing the same design globally.”

“Palisade is the first key product in the Hyundai SUV line-up and epitomizes the new Hyundai Look,” said Senior Vice President SangYup Lee, who heads the Hyundai Global Design Center. “Like the double-sided playing card, Palisade’s exterior and interior spaces stand in stark contrast to one another, but together harmonize perfectly. The exterior contour exudes a masculine, monumental air accentuated by vertical lines, while the interior decor imparts a comfortable, classy feel with horizontal trimmings.”

Palisade is Hyundai’s largest SUV with a long wheelbase, and rides on standard 18-inch wheels with optional 20-inch alloy wheels. On the outside, Palisade exhibits a powerful, ironclad look with its voluminous silhouette and chrome-plated feature lines. The fascia features a dominant chrome mesh grille with a sterling ‘H’ (Hyundai) logo in the center, buttressed on both sides by futuristic, vertically-displayed LED headlamps.

The spacious interior creates a relaxed, comfortable ambiance with seating for eight passengers – making it ideal for family trips. It is equipped with high-quality leather upholstery, stylish and advanced display technology and a panoramic glass layout, as well as an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment display, nine airbags and sixteen cup holders.

Under the motto, “In search of good design and creativity,” the Red Dot Design Award annually honor industry-leading works and projects from designers, agencies and companies from around the globe. Drawing on a prominent jury of more than 20 international experts, the event is recognized worldwide as one of the most sought-after awards for design eminence.

The accolade marks the third consecutive year that Hyundai Motor has come out on top at the Red Dot Design Award. The recognition follows the Palisade’s win at Germany’s eminent iF Design Award 2019 in the automobiles/vehicles category.

Hyundai’s design award-winning streak comes amid the company’s continuing pursuit of innovation and growing investments in design and engineering. Building on the latest achievements, Hyundai continues its quest to produce high-quality automobiles that are affordable and beloved by customers worldwide.

Friday, March 22, 2019

Hyundai Has Been the Official Automotive Sponsor of the Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon Since 2017

Eco-friendly Nexo and Kona Electric Will Serve as Pace Cars at Marathon on March 24

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., March 21, 2019 – Hyundai is the Official Automotive Partner of the Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon for the third consecutive year. This year, Hyundai will champion the event with products and experiences that resonate with both the Marathon runners and their fan base. The March 24 race has about 24,000 runners from 63 countries and will begin at Dodger Stadium and conclude in Santa Monica.

“Southern California is the home of Hyundai’s U.S. headquarters and many of our associates so sponsoring the Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon allows us to celebrate in the community we call home,” said Erik Thomas, senior group manager, Experiential Marketing, Hyundai Motor America. “After three years, the Marathon remains one of our favorite ways to connect with the local community and athletes, and expose them to the Hyundai brand.”

On race day, the Nexo Fuel Cell and Kona Electric will serve as pace cars on the runner’s course. The Santa Fe will be showcased at the starting line at Dodger Stadium and the Kona will be on display at the finish line in Santa Monica, as well as the Finish Festival. In addition, there will be screen printing of custom Hyundai Marathon-themed shirts onsite at the Festival. Mile 23 will be a Hyundai-branded mile mark with promotional giveaways, a water station, and DJ Mal-Ski who will be acting as MC and a cheerleader for the runners.

Hyundai will also have a presence at the Health & Fitness Expo on March 22 -23, where the all-new Palisade and Kona will be on display. Hyundai will also be giving away Hyundai-branded dry-fit shirts for runners. As Official Automotive Partner of the race, Hyundai also will be featured within the official race app and across the marathon's social and digital channels, as well as have prominent logo exposure in LA Times and digital event collateral. The onsite activations around the Marathon are managed by Advantage.

Hyundai will expand implementation of the new platform to future vehicle products

SEOUL, Mar. 12, 2019 – Hyundai Motor announced that it has implemented its third-generation vehicle platform to the new generation Sonata scheduled to go on sale later this month.

The new platform will improve the market competitiveness of Hyundai’s newest Sonata and future vehicle models with greater flexibility for vehicle development, which dramatically enhances overall design, safety, efficiency, power and driving performance.

The new generation Sonata offers reduced weight and improved fuel efficiency while also achieving stronger durability with the new platform. The platform builds on the former platform’s core advantages, enabling a stable design with a lower center of gravity. The third-generation platform also allows Hyundai to implement sporty and stylish design elements to the new Sonata.

The platform also delivers a significant improvement in collision safety through the adoption of a multi-load path structure, ‘Hot Stamping,’ and super-high tensile steel plate.

The sophisticated multi-load path structure increases the energy absorbed by the vehicle in a collision, improving safety with minimization of collision impact into the passenger cabin.

The platform is designed so that the tires move outward during a small overlap collision to maximize customer safety. Such technology inhibits vehicle from spinning and prevents possible secondary collisions.

The extended application of Hot Stamping also prevents deformation of the passenger room, thereby further improving vehicle safety.

The all-new Sonata equipped with the new platform is also expected to improve power and driving performance. It has been developed for possible application of Hyundai’s next-generation engine called the Smartstream Powertrain.

Featuring a system that controls the flow of air, the new platform improves air movement to the engine bay and heat dissipation, which enhances stability in the lower part of the vehicle and minimizes air resistance to deliver excellent efficiency and power performance.

Stability is enhanced by lowering the position of heavy equipment in the platform, which reduces weight and lowers the center of gravity. In addition, it enables agile handling by dramatically expanding lateral stiffness and positioning the steering closer to the wheel center while also providing stable and balanced driving performance by implementing tire-optimization technology. Noise reduction is also improved with enhanced noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) performance through reinforced sound-absorbing systems in vibration-sensitive parts.

“Through implementation of the third-generation platform, the new generation Sonata is expected to provide world-class value in overall vehicle performance,” said Fayez Abdul Rahman, Vice President, Architecture Group from Hyundai Motor Company. “Starting with the new Sonata model, Hyundai will gradually expand the use of new platform in order to provide joy of driving and comfort to the customers.”

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

First cooperative efforts between Hyundai and Bose to deliver exceptional audio experience to customers

Sound system applies Bose digital signal processing technologies to place the passengers at the center of the audio sound regardless of their position in the cabin

Sound system automatically adjusts audio and EQ levels based on vehicle speed

SEOUL, Mar. 11, 2019 – Hyundai Motor announced that the new generation Sonata, scheduled to go on sale later this month, will also be available with the Bose Premium sound system created by Hyundai and Bose engineers to provide an exceptional audio experience to customers. This marks the first time the two companies have joined forces.

Professional sound engineers at Hyundai and Bose aimed to replicate music in the vehicle to sound as close as possible to the way the artist intended. The resulting audio system produces crisp sounds for a high-quality entertainment experience.

The Bose sound system in the new generation Sonata is equipped with twelve speakers, each contributing to create overall premium sound quality. Impactful low-frequency performance is delivered by a combination of Bose Super65 speakers in the front doors and a 9-inch (230mm) Bose neodymium woofer positioned on the rear deck.

Balanced sound reproduction is then delivered by a 3.25-inch (80mm) neodymium mid-range speaker in the center of the instrument panel; four 2.5-inch (60mm) Twiddler speakers – one in each corner of the instrument panel and one on each side of the rear deck; and two 5.25-inch (130mm) wide-range speakers – one in each rear door. Higher frequencies are delivered through two 1-inch (25mm) neodymium tweeters – one in each front door.

The system is driven by a Bose digital amplifier with 12 channels of custom equalization and digital signal processing.

Speaker locations have been optimized through countless tests and analysis of interior space by a joint team of engineers. The resulting Bose Premium sound system offers a rendition that is comfortable to the ear under all circumstances, even in high volume and speed environments.

With each speaker specifically designed to produce a clear tone, the whole set of speakers combine to deliver a rich, vibrant experience that is almost identical to the artists’ original sound.

Music and sound played in the new Sonata is immersive and enveloping, thanks to Bose Centerpoint surround technology and Bose SurroundStage signal processing, which put every occupant at the center of the audio experience regardless of where they are positioned in the cabin.

Bose Centerpoint technology uses a proprietary algorithm to analyze a stereo signal and converts it into multiple channels for surround-sound listening in the front and rear seats. Bose SurroundStage circuitry ensures a balanced 360-degree sound field for each seating position so all occupants receive full music immersion.

To help preserve the quality of the listening experience, the Bose system is also equipped with Dynamic Speed Compensation, which automatically adjusts the volume and tone of music based on vehicle speed and reduces the need for drivers to make adjustments on the road.

“The strong collaboration between Bose and Hyundai engineers has enabled us to develop an optimal listening environment to create a premium audio experience in our vehicles,” said Paul Choo, Vice President and head of Infotainment Technology Center. “We look forward to future collaboration opportunities to seek new ways to enrich customer experience.”

2.0-liter turbocharged engine with up to 275 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque

Amelia Island, Fla., Mar. 11, 2019 – The Hyundai Veloster N performance coupe has been named a 2019 Automobile® magazine All-Star at an award ceremony surrounding events at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in Florida. Veloster N represents Hyundai’s highest performance vehicle ever for the U.S. market. Hyundai’s first U.S. market N model leverages the outstanding, new-for-2019 Veloster platform, showcasing an even higher level of performance appealing to the most discerning of automotive enthusiasts.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled that our first N model has been named a highly-exclusive Automobile® All-Star,” said Mike O’Brien, vice president of Product, Corporate and Digital Planning, Hyundai Motor America. “Veloster N has been extremely well received by enthusiast media and customers alike, and the Automobile All-Star designation further confirms its visceral appeal to those who truly love to drive.”

Hyundai’s high-performance N brand was developed to make the driver’s heart beat faster whenever they’re behind the wheel. With fun-to-drive character as a top priority, Veloster N has been developed to deliver thrilling cornering ability coupled with everyday sports car driveability and race track capability. Veloster N was born in Namyang, Hyundai’s global R&D center, and was thoroughly honed at its Nurburgring-based testing center in Germany.

AUTOMOBILE® ALL-STARS

From the award’s beginning more than 30 years ago, choosing the AUTOMOBILE All-Stars has been about cutting through hype and noise in search of a select group of vehicles that exhibits outstanding style, performance, functionality, class, importance, and desirability. AUTOMOBILE chooses its All-Stars vehicle contender list from the entirety of all-new, heavily revised, or newly significant model variants on sale or otherwise available in the U.S. in the 12 months preceding its test, which occurs annually in December. To receive an invitation to the annual shootout, culled from an initial list of dozens more, means a car is massively impressive and already worthy of recognition.

The AUTOMOBILE editorial staff spends several days driving the contenders on public roads and on a racetrack, and casts final votes via private ballot. The formula is straightforward: no price caps, no categories, and no convoluted point-scoring rules. Indeed, All-Stars is the automotive media industry’s most straightforward award shootout: The vehicles that spark the most passion, inspire the biggest grins, and deliver an experience as true to their original intent as possible inevitably walk away with an All-Stars trophy.

The eighth-generation Sonata embodies Hyundai’s Sensuous Sportiness design concept. It is a fully transformed vehicle following the release of the seventh-generation Sonata in 2014.

“Sonata celebrates innovative coupe-like silhouette,” said Sang Yup Lee, senior vice president and head of the Hyundai Design Center. “A short overhang, sloping roofline and low deck lid create a balanced feel, and Hyundai’s signature chrome accent now goes all the way into the hood, making it look even longer. It also has LED lighting built in. These cues bring the Sensuous Sportiness design to life.”

The all-new Sonata takes its inspiration from the award-winning Le Fil Rouge concept, which debuted at the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show. Like the concept car, the production Sonata attracts immediate attention with its Sensuous Sportiness design.

Sensuous Sportiness is defined by the harmony between four fundamental elements in vehicle design: proportion, architecture, styling and technology. Sonata has a distinct tension on the side using a harmonious blend of layered crisp body lines and pure volumes. Concave and convex forms are also carefully orchestrated to provide a sexy, coupe-like character.

The new Sonata has a much sportier look than its predecessor, with a 30 mm lower height and a width extended by 25 mm. Its wheelbase is enlarged by 35 mm, and its whole length by 45 mm.

The new Sonata’s frontal section is defined by two elements: a bold, voluminous shape evoking a smooth sphere and a cleanly demarcated hood.

Furthermore, the Digital Pulse Cascading Grille, which resembles the grille of a sports car with its rhythmic visuals, is sleekly connected to the hood, strengthening the overall perception of the front.

In particular, the Daytime Running Lights, embedded with Hidden Lighting Lamps—the first for a Hyundai vehicle—are a chief design innovation that incorporates state-of-the-art lighting technology, forming the Sonata’s light architecture. The Hidden Lighting Lamps appear to be of a chromic material when switched off and become dramatically lit when turned on.

The light architecture was initially revealed through Hyundai’s HDC-2 concept car at the Busan Motor Show in June last year. It was created by fleshing out the form of the lamp and making it into a powerful design element. Along with the Sensuous Sportiness concept, the light architecture defines the design identity of future Hyundai cars.

The side sections of the Sonata are accentuated by the light architecture, which connects two chromic lines seamlessly linking the windows and daytime running lights. Through these two characteristic lines, the Sonata effuses an athletic and elegant charm.

The all-new Sonata has a wide, layered long hood, a very low stance and a sleek roofline. The feeling of width is also achieved with ultra-wide taillights.

The light architecture is also applied to the interior space with the ambient mood lamp illuminating dashboard and doors.

In the interior, the instrument panel is rich and modern, and the recognizable winged shape is inspired by a Stealth aircraft. This shape almost levitates or floats when looked at, and this philosophy carries into the long armrests. Satin chrome accents enhance this effect. Designers compressed the height of the dashboard and HVAC vents as much as possible to aid the light-weight feeling, while modern, light fabric colors and leathers provide a fresh and freeing ambience for the driver. The clean and sleek design is carried through the center-gauge cluster display. Designers aimed to alleviate the distracting large screens featured in many luxury cars today and instead threaded the two displays together on the 2020 Sonata, using a unique S curve. These displays are seamless, with no parting lines, and have capacitive touch buttons. Additional features include a satin chrome accent on the steering wheel, which looks like an aircraft yoke, and shift-by-wire transmission controls to free up storage space.